Course Assistant as a learning fasilitator (ENG) fall 2019
Topic outline
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All the course material used during the first day is found here: the slides, the assignments along with the instructions and the material you have made in the class. The submission boxes for your first assignment (reading, teaching observation, group work and reflection) are here as well.
The posters you made in your groups are posted at the bottom of this page.
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The slides for day one concentrate on two themes, interaction and giving feedback. They also contain information on the course: the work you are expected to do to pass the course and the details of the first assigment comprising an article you must read, the group work you must do in your groups, and the details of the first teaching observation.
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Instructions:
Read chapter 2, "Teaching according to how students learn", p. 16–33 from Biggs, J., Tang, C. 2011: Teaching for Quality Learning at the University.
Read the text so that you can discuss it with your peers both in your small group as well as in class. The title of this box and the title of the book are both links to the e-book. You can download a pdf file of the pages you want.
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Instructions:
- Visit an exercise class where you act as an observer. If possible, visit a class of your group members or your course mates.
- Focus on interaction in the classroom and note down at least the following: How was it created? What kind of session it was? How a teaching assistant created and supported interaction? Which aspects you found supported students' learning process? You can add reflections and insights of your own. Be specific, be positive, and give constructive feedback.
- Use the feedback form for this; it appears below this text after clicking on the title of this box. The form has generic instructions on points to pay attention to when observing a teaching session. You may follow these instructions to expand your observation, but remember that your task this time is to focus on interaction. Give your feedback to your peer/the teacher (ask them first if they want the feedback; you may also elaborate on your feedback verbally with them), and submit it to this submission box with the name of the observed peer/teacher removed. This feedback is visible only to the course teachers.
- Although you use the framework given in the form to write on this teaching observation, reflect on the teaching situation by also thinking about the issues on interaction and feedback that we discussed in the classroom (that are summarised in the slides) and elaborate on each section in the form. This elaborated reflection is not part of the feedback you give the teacher you observed.
- Return to this box the form containing your observations, reflections and the feedback you possibly gave the teacher you observed. This is an indivdual assignment.
- Visit an exercise class where you act as an observer. If possible, visit a class of your group members or your course mates.
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Instructions:
- Arrange a meeting with your peer group (already done in class)
- In the meeting, discuss about the article and plan your teaching observation or discuss your observed session, as the case may be.
- Write a reflection writing as a group and post it (one per group) to this discussion forum: Peer Group work (discussion area): What did you discuss? What did you observe? What did you think about the article? etc.
- Remember to write your names on your group post.
- Your posts to this discussion area are visible to the teachers and all course participants.
- Arrange a meeting with your peer group (already done in class)
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The submission box for the makeup assignment for those who couldn't be present in class on Contact Session 1.
We have formed peer groups for working together during this course. Find your own group (Frame on left side) and contact it. You need to arrange meeting before next contact session.
Update your own teaching schedules to the table (Frame on left side)
Familiarize yourself with session slides and the outputs of group work (good course assistant)
Describe your own thoughts and reflect on the central topics of the contact session such as: Good course assistant, interaction and feedback supporting students' learning.
Write an essay approx. 1-2 pages, submit it before the next contact session DL 28.10.2019.
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